Accidents Will Happen
by reginassthief
Summary: While looking after Roland for the day, he falls of the bed and Regina has to take him to hospital. Once Marian arrives in an angered fit, she rips open a few of Regina's parenting anxieties but Robin is always there to tell her otherwise. Dimples Queen. Outlaw Queen.


**Two fics in one day, aren't you lucky. Anyway I've had this planned for years and never got round to doing it. It was going to be more angsty but I like the way it turned out. Quite proud of this little thing. Dimples Queen with a splash of Outlaw Queen towards the end and some bit of Marian being a bitch because...reasons. Hope you like it :)**

She wants to do nothing more than just collapse when she gets in. Switch a fan on and just lie down on the couch and _breathe._

Yet she knows that won't be possible. She has a three year old with her after all, one who is somehow not affected by how hot it is today.

So no, she's not collapsing as soon as she gets in (the fan is getting switched on, though, high) and they're going to take it easy now, and they're definitely not going outside. No!

Regina had agreed to look after Roland for a few hours. She was childless, Henry being with Emma for the day, and she'd seen the wearisome look on Robin's face when she'd came to his apartment, saw the sacks of paper that still needed grading and she saw Roland making chaos in the corner. So she'd agreed to look after him.

Robin told her that there was no need, that he could just call Marian and have her pick him up early, yet Regina told him that there was no need. She was right here, while Marian was a drive away, it was really no problem.

And it hadn't been. She was happy to take Roland, it was something she missed; the adventures with a three year old. Henry was thirteen, was more for absorbing himself in a video game or comic book or TV, he had barely any need for his mother's company anymore. But Roland still needed someone to push him on the swings, help him up and down the slide, hold his hand as he walked across the plank of wood, and Regina was happy to be that person, even if it was 30+ degrees today.

So the fan is the first thing she switches on.

And she's grateful when the next toy Roland pulls out is a jigsaw, something quick and simple, but it's slow; it's not running, not chasing, not lifting up in scorching heat, it's just placing pieces together, perfect.

"Gina, I'm thirsty."

He's tired too, by the look on his face, the way his eyes droop and there's a whine to his voice when he speaks and she thinks of making him some milk and letting him nap for a bit (give her some time to herself) yet when she glances as the clock, it's closer to four then any other time, too late for him to nap (if she lets him, he'll be up later than his bedtime, something she expects Robin wouldn't appreciate) No, he can wait until Robin comes home, it'll only be a couple of hours at least.

"I'll make you some juice."

Roland nods, shifting to where she was sitting (the heat's getting to him, Regina thinks, he wants the fan) and once she's over in the kitchen, she mourns the fan for a second, until she hears springs bouncing and the creakiness of the bed as Roland jumps up and down. So he wasn't moving to the fan after all.

Robin lived on the third floor, too far up to have any claim to the garden (even though it's a joint property and everyone living here should have some sort of claim to the garden) and Roland has express multiple times his want for a trampoline and each time Robin's had to tell him that he will have to wait until they find somewhere new to live, a house with a big garden (Regina remembers him looking at her when he said that, and the feeling that accompanied it) But for now, the bed will have to make do.

Until there's a crash, Regina's heart stopping for a millisecond, and a whinge- a high pitched, loud whinge.

The juice is abandoned in seconds as she's runs over to a fallen Roland. The bed isn't _that_ high but the tall mattresses Robin's so fond of make the bed higher than average so falling off it hurts (Regina knows, she's had the fortunate event of falling out of it) especially when there's concrete beneath the carpet, especially when it's a three year old that's fallen.

Regina's dealt with any cuts and bruises in her life; from herself when she was a child and didn't want Cora knowing she was playing somewhere where she shouldn't, and from Henry, who always came home from school or the park with a souvenyior of a cut, yet Roland isn't hers and she was trusted to look after him, so his injury sends anxiety running through her. It's not the graze of his cheek, that can be easily tended to, it's the way he's clutching his arm, the way his cries are because of that, that make her nervous and even scared of Robin's reaction. This isn't a normal "get the first aid kit out and tend to it yourself" moment, this is a hospital moment because that arm seems serious (and even if it isn't, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?)

So the hospital it is.

.:.:.:.:.:.

It takes Robin some time to arrive (rush hour, overall) so Regina stays with Roland, reassuring him that _Daddy is on his way_. He'd stopped crying a few minutes after they arrived at the hospital, his wrist turned out to be nothing serious, he'd just landed on it funny and a relief spreads through Regina yet it does nothing to deflate the anxiety still swirling.

She's not worried about Robin's reaction, she knows he'll understand, accidents happen after all. No, she's worried about Roland's mother.

Marian is Roland's next of kin, she's his mother, it's normal and the hospital staff called her immediately after Regina told them she wasn't Roland's mother and she could do nothing to stop it. Now she sits beside Roland on the bed, fingers in his hair as he leans against her, fighting sleep.

She's happy it's Robin who enters first.

"I got here as soon as I could," he says, pushing the curtain aside to get through. "Is he okay?"

Roland comes alive as soon as he sees his father. Pulling his weight off of Regina and shouting _Daddy!_ reaching his arms out.

"He's fine now." Regina says. She'd told Robin he fell off the bed when she called him earlier. He wasn't angry or sound shocked when she told him, he just told her that an accident was waiting to happen, he'd been bouncing on that bed since Henry took him to that trampoline place, and that it was just unfortunate that the accident had to happen with her. Regina had admitted that she felt partially to blame since she wasn't technically _watching_ him but he'd rebuffed her, told her that she had nothing to feel guilty for and while that did make her feel better, she couldn't imagine Marian thinking the same.

"Good." He sits on the other side of Roland as the boy falls into him, leaning against him much as he did Regina and a warmth spreads through her, temporarily moving the anxiety out of the way for a second as she watches them.

Until the dreaded shriek comes.

"Where is he?"

And that anxiety shoots back in, her head whipping to where the curtains connect together, dreading what's behind it.

"It's okay." Robin says, his hand touching hers. However thankful Regina is for the touch, however it steadies her and reminds her that she's not alone, she pulls away. Their relationship is no secret to Marian, she's fully aware of it, fully aware that Regina spends time with her son, yet Regina doesn't like presenting it in front of the woman; Marian and Robin may be divorced, may not in love anymore, yet Regina had seen her glances, saw the unwillingness to truly let go.

The curtains are yanked back, a Marian standing there for a millisecond before bee-lining to her son and pulling him out of Robin's arms, something that angers Regina for a minute, until she remembers she's not the one to be angry in this situation.

"Mommy's got you." she whispers though it's loud enough for them to hear you. "It's okay..."

"Marian-" Robin begins but he's immediately cut off.

"Don't." Marian says, the soothing voice she had with Roland now gone. "I trusted you with him. I expected to pick him up at your apartment, not a hospital because he's got a broken arm."

Regina rolls her eyes, gone unnoticed by the other two people, thank god. Yet, she still can't help but internally laugh at the woman's exaggeration. Roland didn't _break his arm_ , he landed funny on his wrist and a bit of painkillers and a night's sleep will sort it out in no time.

Robin seems to read her mind.

"He didn't nearly _break his arm_."

"He could have," Marian counters back. "All because you're incapable of watching him." she turns to Regina then, seemingly only realising she's in the room. "And what is _she_ doing here?"

Regina fights back a retort, realises that Marian doesn't know that she was the one looking after Roland. She wonders if she should stay silent about it, let Robin handle it, Marian seems to think it was his fault.

No, she couldn't do that. That's not fair on Robin.

"It wasn't Robin's fault," she says. "It was me. I was watching him. Alone."

She doesn't know why she feels uneasy, saying that she was looking after Roland for the day. She isn't incapable of looking after a child alone, she managed Henry for ten years, five hours is nothing.

"Oh, so it's _your_ fault then?"

"Well, no-"

"I'm surprised I wasn't called earlier than this," Marian says, hoisting Roland more securely on her hip. He's asleep now, dead weight against his mother and a dead weight, sleeping three year old is not easy to carry. "I guess you've been with him for most of the day."

She keeps a grip on her anger, though it's slipping, itching to break free. The woman's insinuation at not being able to look after a child rakes her, unleashes those old insecurities from when Henry was a baby and she wasn't sure she had the skill to look after him. They eat at her, make her think that perhaps she isn't fit enough to look after a child for even a few hours.

"Accidents happen, Marian." Robin says, breaking them up. "It's been waiting for days. He always bounces on the bed."

And that sparks a new reason to be angry, this time back at Robin.

"So you've let him jump on the bed before? Well isn't this just great. Who else knows what you've allowed him to do. Play with matches? Knives?"

At least if Regina attacks this woman, she'd be instantly attended to since they're in a hospital yet that's not the right thing to do. She doesn't know how they got from something minor to jumping on a bed with fire and knives. Seriously, this woman is anything to exaggerate things.

"I haven't let him play with matches or knives." Robin tells her through grit teeth, he's losing control of his own anger now, at his parenting being questioned. "Accidents happen," he repeats. "He's fine."

And he is fine. He's asleep, he's not in pain, he'd had his liquid paracetamol and is now asleep against the person he loves most. He is fine.

Marian hoists him up again. "If you say so." she says. "But I'm taking him back to my house just to be sure."

Robin waves her off, he was only having him for the day anyway, sleepovers are for weekends and with that Marian leaves the room.

"I'm sorry." Regina says as soon as the woman is gone.

Robin sighs. "Don't be. You did nothing wrong. She's been looking for an excuse to be angry with me all week."

It was supposed to make her smile at least but she's still felt feeling guilty over the situation.

"But if I'd been watching him..."

He reaches over to her again and Regina shuffles towards him, leaning against him much like Roland did.

"You did nothing wrong," he tells her, his hand now soothing up and down her arm. "He's fine, nothing serious, Marian just likes to exaggerate."

And Regina huffs, _Definitely_.

"She'll get over it in a few days. Also I know what you're thinking," She looks up at him then, confused. "You're not incapable of looking after a child. Accidents happen."

Regina laughs, moving her head back down to his shoulder. He's said that three times in the space of half an hour. "Is that your new motto?" she teases and it earns her a little chuckle from Robin.

"It what I keep telling myself." He shifts them then, moving Regina and she gets the hint as he hops off the bed, Regina following in pursuit. They have no reason to be here now.

"Best stop him from jumping on the bed from now on."

"If what I've learned from Henry, he'll either stop himself because he fell and was scared, or he'll keep doing it."

Robin moves to her, resting his forehead against her as he asks, "Do you need to get back to Henry?"

She shakes her head. "He's with Emma." And a smile appears across his face, mischievous.

"So you don't need to get back?"

Her own smile forms, she knows what he's thinking they. Both their sons are with their mothers making them Robin and Regina now completely childless.

"I don't..."

He pulls away from her, grabbing her hand and leading them out of their cocoon of curtains lest they be kicked out.

"Come on then."

She takes his hand, allowing him to lead her to the car and back to his apartment.


End file.
